New Lease of Life with Bone Graft from Brain-Dead Donor

In a rare and remarkable medical achievement, doctors at KIMS Hospitals, Seethammadhara, have successfully restored shoulder function in a patient using a bone graft harvested from a brain-dead donor. While organ transplants from brain-dead individuals are commonly performed to save lives, the use of donor bone to reconstruct a damaged joint and restore mobility remains uncommon.

According to Dr. Srinivas Gollangi, Consultant sports Orthopaedic and Arthroscopic Surgeon, Specialised in shoulder Surgery, the procedure involved sourcing a bone graft from a bone bank in Bengaluru and transporting it to Visakhapatnam for a complex reconstructive surgery.

The patient, a 40-year-old man from the city, had been suffering from recurrent shoulder dislocations due to epilepsy, which caused frequent falls. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries in the past, the condition persisted, significantly affecting his quality of life.

“Detailed evaluation revealed extensive damage to the rotator cuff muscles and a Significant bone defect in hum head. Conventional arthroscopic procedures were unlikely to provide a lasting solution,” Dr. Gollangi explained.
The medical team first focused on stabilising the patient’s epilepsy. Subsequently, they performed an open rotator cuff repair along with allograft bone grafting. The donor bone was used to reconstruct the damaged portion of the shoulder, thereby restoring both structure and stability.

An allograft refers to the transplantation of tissue from one individual to another. In this case, the bone obtained from a brain-dead donor was used to rebuild the patient’s shoulder joint.

“The surgery not only addressed the soft tissue damage but also restored shoulder stability. The patient has recovered well and is now able to carry out his daily activities independently,” Dr. Gollangi said.